Improvement in machines for pressing bonnets and hats



. and turns the block.

Unire Srarns armar Prien.

CALEB MERRITT, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR PRESSING BONNETS ND HATS,

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 3,@77, dated March 13,1844.

To @ZZ whom it may concern).-

Be it known that I, GALEB Mnnnrr'r, ofthe cityof Baltimore andStateofMaryland,have invented a new and useful Improvement on the Bonnet andHat Pressing Machine, and l do hereby declare that the following is afull and exact description.

In the drawings, aa," dre., Figure 1, representsthe frame or stationarypart of the machine.

b is a shaft on benches or supports a x a w.

c is a rod fast to shaft b, and is branched near and fixed to the framed d, &c.

e c is a shaft that works in theframcdd, 85e.

f is a barrel passing over shaft e e, and by means of a thumb-screwmaybe shifted on any part of e c, and secured so as to move with e e.

h is a link, which, by the bolt t' passingfreely through h l1J from f,'forms a swivel, and with the shaft e constitutes a universal joint. Therod j j passes through 7ll 7L, and will turn in it.

It' k is a metal box or pressing-iron, which, by means of theslide-door, is to hold a heated piece of metal. This pressing-iron hastwo plain faces, and one with a depressed part, m nz., for ironinghat-rims, so as not to injure or disturb the edge o r binding.

n n is a bonnet or hat block, projl ect-ed on the shaft o, which shaftis supported by and revolves in the piece p p. This piece hangs or playson a short shaft, one end of which is seen at q. The piece p phas aquadrant of cogs, r, which works in a pinion, S. The blocks may beplaced in either a horizontal, inclined, or perpendicular position, asrequired.

Y V- is a pin to lock the piece p p, to keep the block in position.

NV is a`two-mitered wheel on the shaft q, one side of which works in themiter-wheel y The other side receives its motion from the miter-whcelwhich is on the shaft 2, with the ratchet 3.

L.Lis ablock in a position for ironing the crown placed on the `spindle5 at the side ef the frame.

6 is a block having a brim-piece lor disk, with pins or handles to turnit.

7 is a crank or arm on shaft Z), and by a working-joint, 8, is connectedwith a rod, 9, and by'means of the branched lever 10, working on afiXedpoint, 11, in the frame, the j oints 12 and 13, connected to the pieces14 and 15, are put in motion. rIhrough piece 15 passes freely the shaft2 of the ratchet.

` The manner of working the pressing-iron is as follows: The operatortakes hold of the handle at 17, and by a gentle pressure raises thepieces e e, d d d, and c c, while the block remains stationary. Vhen thehandle is pressed down as far as necessary, raiseyour hand and the blockwill revolve back as far as the hat or bonnet has been pressed. Thepieces 14 and 15 sink and withdraw the pawl 16 from the ratchet. Repeatthis operation until the bonnet or hat is entirely pressed round. It

may beseen that the block turns in the direction of the arrows by theoperation of the pawl. Thus, by the peculiar structure and gearing ofthe miterlwheels and their appendages, the block will stand at anyinclina` tion and still remain in gear. The blocks 4 and 6, it 4will beseen, must be turned by the one hand while the operator works the handlejj with the other. The pressingliron is now represented as on the block,while the parts c c, d d, 85e., are at full elevation and ready todescend.

18 is a piece resting on spiral springs 19 19,

to check the fall of the parts c c, d d, Ste., when the hand iswithdrawn from the rod j j. A

Fig. 2 shows a side View of the moving parts of the machine, exceptt and6. Fig. 3 shows a side view ofthe parts which give the requisiteposition to the block.

Like letters refer to the sameparts in both figures.

The rod j j being four feet eight and a half inches long from oneextremity to the other viz., the handle twelve inches, heating-box nineand a half inches, the middle part twenty inches, and thcrcsidue of woodfifteen inches longwith the universal joint c e f g h i and the shiftingbarrel j`,the pressingiron will conveuiently reach either of the blocks,and by this peculiar construction, with round, oval, or other suitableblocks, and a little practice, any convenient position of the block andpressing-iron may be had and the desired effect produced.

.Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

The combination ofthe shaft j j ,which carries the pressingdron, withthe gate d Z by means which is shifted. by the pinion S, in combinaofthe slide and universal joint, as described, tion with the'miter-Wheelsy y, x, and w7 for and these thus combined, in combination With l thepurpose and in the manner described. the rock-shaft b, whichcommunicates motion CALEB MERRITT. to the shaft o of the hat-block bythe action Vitnesses: t

given to the shaft j j, the segment-piece@ p, ROBT. KEER,

which cari-ies the shaft o of the hat-block7 and VILLM. FENLY.

